Intractable
by MyHairyFace
Summary: Hacker AU: "I SAID I'm not opening the vault for you!" Maka spat. The white haired man chuckled darkly, still pulling her to the back of the building, away from the other tellers. "Who said I needed you to do that?"
1. One

_AN: Back again with another AU! This is of course going to be multi-chaptered._

_I hope you enjoy!_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

She came to the realization with startling boredom:

Maka was sick of her job.

She had always thought working at a bank would be… somehow glamorous; or maybe even exciting now and then. She liked working with people, even more so she liked _helping _people which she had _originally _thought position would allow her to do.

Now she just felt like an idiot for thinking something like that.

She scribbled an amount onto the back of a check and placed it in the appropriate small drawer. Sighing, she walked back to her station and gave the man standing on the other side of her gated counter a receipt. He didn't smile, didn't thank her, didn't even say anything: just gave her an annoyed look and walked away,

"You're _welcome_," She muttered, looking over at her computer and typing the transaction into their online files.

It wasn't the _jobs _fault everything was so horrible, it really was just this branch. She was moved her from her last position as a teller: a promotion. Not only was this bank regarded as the third safest in Death City, it protected the money of some of the biggest (questionable) monetary players in town.

Maka knew there was something seedy going on with the whole thing. Besides her rough and _obvious _high-class mobster customers that came in, there were all sorts of transactions that she was specifically told time and time again, were meant to be off the books.

She stretched her neck, toying with her pigtailed hair as she regarded the general suffocating environment around her. It was a very old building, something you'd see in a movie to show how important a character was when you saw that _THIS _was his bank. It had a traditional gothic architecture, which meant (to her utmost dismay) no windows. Large revolving doors at the front and office in the back in which half the wood framed walls were glass. The tellers were gated in, the gates attached to their large lacquer desks.

"Makaaa," A voice next to her sang. A smile pulled at her lips: there were, however, a few good things about working here.

She leaned over her desk to see her co-worker a few spaces down doing the same thing, her head poked out from her un-gated window, her upper body propped over her desk,

"What's up Tsubaki?" Maka smiled at her,

"I brought some cookies in today!" Her friend chirped, "They're in the back room if you want some! I made them myself," She beamed,

"Oh! I'll have to go try them!" Maka replied, "I was just going to take a break actually," she pursed her lips,

"Great! I'll watch your desk for you!" The dark haired woman tilted her head,

"Really? Thanks so much!" Maka replied. She lowered her gate over the window and walked back behind the other tellers and over to her friend, a few co-workers making annoyed comments about unprofessionalism and boisterousness.

She ignored them with practiced ease.

"I'm excited to try them," She said, passing her friend who nodded back happily as she made her way to the back.

The break room was almost connected to the vault for a reason Maka couldn't fathom. They had probably just run out of space and needed to combine the two. Bathrooms, vault full of cash she was sure was illegal. Maybe it made sense to someone.

As soon as she entered the room, she wanted to turn around and leave. There he was at the table, his feet up as he lay lazily in his chair, eating the aforementioned cookies. Her boss: Giriko.

"Oie, Maka," He said, removing his feet from the table, sharp teeth crunching on half chewed food,

"What is it?" She said, not looking at him, just walking straight to the coffee maker and pouring herself a cup.

"Just saying, isn't that skirt a little long for you?" He sauntered up beside her and leaned on the counter, looking down at her legs. She felt her lips curling into an involuntary scowl,

"Shouldn't you be worried about the opposite?"

He shrugged before laughing,

"I'm just _asking_," He was still staring down at her, "Wear shorter ones." He commanded.

"Isn't that a little unprofessional?" She turned to him, anger filling her, "And isn't this workplace harassment or something?"

He laughed again,

"So report me," He shrugged, "But if you want to keep your job, you're gonna start wearing that short shit I like,"

Her hands balled into fists at her side. She hated all this, but she _did _need the job. She needed to support herself, and as much as she hated him, she knew his superiors loved him. And what's more, all those customers that were such bad news _adored _the man.

"So you'll do that, right?" She said, taking another bite of his cookie, now looking away disinterestedly,

"Yes," she gritted,

"Yes _what?_" He sang back. She paused for a moment before replying,

"Yes sir."

He guffawed just as another employee walked through the door. Maka sighed in relief; normally Giriko left her alone when other people were present.

She turned to leave, nodding to the man wearing an orange suit jacket: Fisher.

"Oie," She heard behind her and froze, turning slowly back around Giriko made his way over to her, his eyes on Fisher for a few moments before turning back to Maka, a sickening expression on his face,

"And another thing Albarn," He said, reaching up to her blouse. It took everything in her to grit and bear it as he, in one quick motion opened the top button of her shirt, revealing a patch of cleavage, "You're gonna wear it like this now,"

He stood back and admired her, grinning. He looked over at Fisher, who suppressed a laugh. Maka was trembling with anger as Giriko looked her up and down,

"Well?" He said aggressively,

"Okay." She said, her lips pressed into a firm line.

"Okay, _WHAT_," He challenged,

"Okay. SIR." She gritted.

She turned and stormed out as the two men erupted in laughter. She could hear her superior say something about 'improving the look of things around here,' to which the other man laughed and agreed.

Maka was seething by the time she made it back to her desk and buttoned up her shirt. It was obvious that many of the other clerks, including Tsubaki, had heard the conversation as they awkwardly feigned busyness. She opened her gate,

_This is what it's always going to be like,_

Maka thought angrily, stamping a letter with more force than necessary. She stamped a few more just as heavily, the sounds reverberating through the large room.

The bank had gotten busier when she was in the back, but no customers approached her now. She was focusing on her stamping and data input as the general crowd began to die down. She had calmed down a fair bit before she noticed him:

The man sauntered in through the front door, the lower half of his face covered with a black bandana, a hoodie pulled up over his head. Dark aviators hid his eyes, all of it in stark comparison it the bright white hair poking out from around his face.

Maka paused for a moment,

_Another shady customer?_

The man's head turned slightly and the large automated gate door beside her, that led behind the desks, swung open.

Her eyes darted back to the man, a fire in her stomach igniting as he lifted what looked like cell phone slowly from his pocket. Every action in the room seemed to slow as she saw him swipe the screen once. Suddenly: the lights snapped off. Pitch Black. It was a suffocating kind of darkness that immediately elicited screams from many of the patrons.

She heard Tsubaki's voice, loud but gentle as she announced:

"Everyone, calm down; this is just a power outage! I'm sure everything will be fine in a moment!"

Maka couldn't find her voice for only a moment before she slammed her gate closed, locking it with a loud bang as she shouted into the darkness,

"No, it's not! It's a bank rob—"

Before she could finish her statement there was a hand slapped over her mouth, an arm roughly around her waist as she was pulled backwards. She didn't scream, but shivered when she heard a low voice in her ear,

"So you noticed," the man seemed to purr, his covered mouth inches from her. She was now being pulled backwards into darkness, tightly against the man's chest. Her eyes adjusting only to see vague shapes around her, she quickly realised the direction he was taking her.

She tried to speak but it was muffled against his hands. She was almost positive he was wearing fingerless gloves and rolled her eyes despite herself.

"What was that, pigtails?" The man removed his hand from her mouth slightly,

"I _SAID _I'm not opening the vault for you!" she spat. He chuckled darkly, still pulling her to the back of the building, away from the other tellers.

"Who said I needed you to do that?"

She drew in a quick breath to retort but his hand was suddenly over her mouth again. She struggled against him for a moment before he whispered into her ear a definitive:

"Quiet,"

The two sunk to the floor. She was disoriented now.

There was loud yelling; she could hear Giriko's voice as he commanded some employees near to him to go into lockdown.

Confused shuffling. Doors slamming shut.

Giriko was swearing loudly, she could hear him cut through the silent darkness,

"Maka! Don't you fucking _touch_ the vault!" Just the sound of his voice made her stomach churn.

Still listening, she stayed completely still against the man, not exactly scared, but filled with a strange curiosity. She was sure if her day had gone better, if it hadn't seemed like a 'final straw' situation, she'd feel differently . His voice was deep and husky as he spoke once more,

"Which one is Giriko?"

She knew she should try to protest, make a scene, scream, kick... instead she just hissed back:

"The asshole who's yelling,"

"What does he look like," The white haired man replied.

"Spiked hair and stupid sharp teeth," she muttered.

He chuckled before replying, "Sharp teeth eh? Sounds horrific,"

She opened her mouth to answer, but was met instead by the gentle glow from the man's cell phone-like device. She could see his covered face above her in the dim light. He had removed his sunglasses, she noticed. She also noticed that she _really _hadn't realized how _close_ she was to him. A further revelation made a blush creep up her face: he wasn't holding her forcefully anymore; instead she was leaning against his chest quite comfortably, his free hand draped around her and holding her in an upright position on the floor.

Before she could scramble off of him, he was on his feet. He swiped his cell phone and the lights in the vault room suddenly came to life: blinding light flooded the hall.

He turned towards her, looking down,

"Well," He said, pulling down his bandana; revealing a jagged smile that seemed to shoot right through her heart, "It's been fun,"

His appearance caught her off guard. Although the sharp teeth she was used to, she had never seen it… pulled off? Giriko was frightening in the way he had them, but this man had a handsome charm and they seemed to add to that. The bright red eyes were another thing. She stared up at him from her place on the floor. His black jeans, his hoodie with his dark leather coat over top: he looked… Really _cool,_ Maka found herself thinking. She was sure the moment didn't last longer than a second before he pulled the bandana back up, turning back and sprinting towards the vault room.

She watched him from her place on the floor, stunned.

Well…

She had _wanted _excitement. Hadn't she?

* * *

_AN: I'll be updating very soon so look for it!_

_Let me know what you thought, if you'd like :) _


	2. Two

_AN: Look! A quick update! I'm not incapable of them! _

_The rest will follow in a similar suit!_

_(hopefully)_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

Maka had made it shakily to her feet, her heart loud in her ears and she forced herself to take a step towards the now blindingly illuminated back room.

"The VAULT!" Giriko howled from behind her, knocking her into the wall harshly as he pushed his way past. He was followed by four security guards, all in black.

It only quickened her pace though, after picking herself back up she jogged into the room, discarding black heels on the way. She stopped at the door frame, breathing heavily.

The four guards with Giriko had met up with another group, most stood in front of the vault with guns drawn. Maka knew she should go back; hide under her desk like she was trained to do in a situation like this, like all the other tellers were doing… but…

Without knowing it, the man had somehow made this really… _personal _to her.

"Well?!" Giriko screaming, spinning around on his heels, eyes darting around the room, "Where are you?!"

Maka knew she had seen the man run into this room, but he sure as hell wasn't there now. Giriko turned over a desk roughly, sending papers flying into the air,

"Look around!" He roared to the guards who immediately began destroying everything in a feeble attempt to locate him. A man smashed the coffee maker in the process,

"He's not here." Maka said quietly, annoyed by the general stupid panic of it all. The men continued, ignoring her,

"HE'S CLEARLY NOT HERE," she shouted, surprised at her own voice. Giriko whipped around to look at her, a crazed anger in his eyes,

"Well," He spat, "Where the fuck is he?!"

"I don't know." She muttered, but his hand was already at the collars of her shirt,

"You know these fuckers Maka?" He said, shaking her slightly. She held his gaze with ferocity as one of the guards spoke up,

"Giriko, I think she's right, he's not here," Another kicked over a filing cabinet, looking behind it.

"You don't know that!" Giriko shouted back, his face red, a vein in his neck protruding.

A few of the guards starting agreeing with the first, the room almost completely destroyed as Giriko lifted Maka off the ground, her breathing becoming strangled, but her cold gaze never leaving his.

"Shut the _fuck _up and keep looking!" Giriko was hysteric, panic and anger coursed through his entire body.

He moved his arm in a motion which Maka knew was about to result in her being thrown against the glass wall.

The phone on the wall rang loudly.

Everyone froze, their eyes instantly shooting toward it. The ringing that quieted them cut through the tense silence. Giriko's grip loosened, dropping Maka back to the ground. Lip curled, he took a few strong steps towards it. As his hand reached for it tentatively, the ringing stopped.

The speakerphone light clicked on, but it was still silent for a long moment, before there was a quick whisper:

"Above you,"

Every head in the room simultaneously shot upwards. She saw his white hair for only a second before the room went black, the lights off again as the man fell from the ceiling.

There was the sound of impact.

Giriko let out a muffled cry, which was followed by a loud CRACK.

"Fucking… SHOOT HIM," He strangled out in the darkness.

Muzzle flairs.

Maka could only see what was happening in the light from the discharged weapons.

The man seemed to move impossibly fast, but it was as if she was seeing it all in slowed motion, his device leaving a trail of dim light in what looked like a dance.

He ducked under a guards arm, catching it over his shoulder and throwing the man onto the ground in front of him, removing the gun from his hand as he fell and releasing the ammo from it before sliding the gun apart and dropping it to the floor.

Darkness.

Followed by more gun flairs,

The man's hood flew off as he slid along the ground, revealing more blindingly white hair. He took out a guards footing, the guards gun continuing to fire erratically above him. The man rolled and was to his feet in an instant, but his momentum kept him going fast, a well-aimed elbow colliding with another's jaw and sending him to the floor.

Maka scrambled back against the wall as darkness fell once again. More sounds of impact, more metal hitting the ground: guns disabled. Choked shouts for only a moment at a time.

There was silence and an eerie stillness before a lone light snapped on, a single beam. Underneath it stood the white haired man. Feet firmly against the ground, arms at his sides, head cocked slightly. Although the bandanna remained over his face, there was no doubt in Maka's mind that he was grinning.

"Giriko," The man said, "Get up,"

Maka's eyes flew across the room to the figure in the darkness, only a dim shape, but undeniably her boss. He stood to his feet, swaying a few times as he trudged towards the beam of light,

"I know who you are," Giriko said in a low voice,

"Oh yeah?" The white haired man replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "And who would that be?"

Giriko growled, still slowly approaching,

Maka sunk against the wall, her eyes wide as she watched her boss approach the mysterious man.

"Soul Eater," He said with a disgust she knew had to be established through a past.

The white haired man laughed,

"I guess my reputation precedes me," Soul shrugged before removing a hand from his pocket and raising it in front of him, "I assume you know what I'm here for then,"

"I'm not opening _shit_," Giriko rushed him, but Soul simply sidestepped, hitting the back of Giriko's arm and sending him to the ground.

But his arrogance wasn't on his side this time.

Giriko caught himself, his hands on the floor as he propelled his body back up, bringing his legs down towards the back of Soul's neck. He noticed it a moment too late, only able to turn and put his forearm up to block the attack, but falling to his knees. He pushed back, a sound of pain slightly escaping his lips as Giriko bounced back, righting himself.

The two stood a fair ways apart, Soul was to his feet quickly,

"What's wrong hacker," Giriko jeered, the two now circling each other, "Not gonna turn out the lights?!"

He lunged again, this time Soul was able to block his punch and turn behind him, his foot colliding with the back of Giriko's leg, making him stumble forward. He turned back quickly, his hands balled into fists.

"You piece of shit," He said angrily,

"You know," Soul's voice had darkened, "I was planning on doing all this so quietly,"

"Got caught though, didn't you?" Giriko replied, a sickening grin on his face barely illumined from the single beam, "And now you'll have to go through me!"

He jumped into the air, his leg swinging straight for Soul's head. But the man ducked quickly, getting himself on his hands, he shot his body towards Girikos, his feet colliding with his chest, before he sent the man flying into the wall.

He landed with a large crash, and Soul rolled across the ground before standing.

"When it came down to actually doing it though," Soul had the device in his hand, "I decided I _really _just didn't like you."

Giriko was getting up. As he staggered towards the light once more, Maka saw him spit blood onto the ground,

"What are you talking about?" The man snarled, holding a large gash on his arm with his other hand,

"It's not cool to push girls around," Soul stated, "And I was getting_ really _tired of watching you fuck with _her_,"

Maka froze; eyes wide as she realized Soul was pointing in her direction. She almost wanted to look behind her, but felt the wall at her back and knew he meant none other.

"Who?" Giriko's eyes strained before they fell on her in the dim light. Her stomach tightened, "That Albarn bitch?"

Without warning, Soul's fist collided with Giriko's jaw, sending him to the ground quickly. He swore as he struggled to his hands and knees on the ground.

"I knew she was involved," Giriko said, his head hung; anger thick in his voice "I fucking _knew_ it!"

Soul's foot swung into Giriko's ribs, sending him back down. Without a word he turned and headed towards the large vault, walking slowly, a hand back in his pocket,

It was Maka's voice that squeaked through the dim light now,

"Y-you can't open that!" She said. Soul stopped abruptly, turning back towards her, eyebrows raised,

"Can't I?"

"I mean, you need three keycards and…" She stopped, looking at Giriko who was moaning from the floor. He already thought she was involved. She was already completely screwed. Her voice got louder, more confident,

"And Giriko has two of them in different parts of the bank," she stood to her feet.

Soul simply chuckled before turning back to the vault,

"I'll try to keep that in mind, pigtails."

She started walking towards him,

"I'm serious! You can't just—"

There was a large creaking sound and Maka saw, to her utmost surprise, the vault door swing open slowly. She turned to Soul who held his device up, shaking it as if to prove a point.

"You work here right?" he said,

"Obviously," She crossed her arms, annoyed. She could hear the smile in his voice again when he spoke:

"Good. Then make my life easier, and show me where they keep the hardcopy restricted files."

* * *

.

.

.

_AN: Let me know what you thought! I really love hearing from you guys._


	3. Three

Her hands closed around the large drawer, pulling it open with some difficulty,

"Here," She called to him,

He was beside her quickly, wordless as he leafed through the folders with a delicate speed, eyes scanning the titles. She shifted her weight, watching him for a moment,

"Listen I—" she started, but he pulled out a handful of files triumphantly, not hearing her.

"Gotcha," He murmured, stuffing them under his arm and continuing down the line. She vaguely heard sirens in the distance,

"Soul," She hissed urgently, "I think the cops are here,"

"Yeah," he said distractedly, still going through the papers,

"I'm serious, I hear sirens! There must be a lot of them!"

"Four cruisers," He said, pulling out another file and stuffing it under his arm before glancing at his device quickly and going back to the papers, "Two cops in each, swat hasn't even been called yet,"

"How do you…?" She stopped, knowing it was something to do with the device he held.

He stopped searching and looked up at her, "People seem to think security cameras will keep them safe. They never think about the opposite effect they can have,"

He went back to searching when she looked away, embarrassed. His bandana was around his neck now, and she couldn't help noticing his strong jawline and the way in which his mouth moved when he spoke. It was all… kinda nice, she admitted.

"And banks," He grabbed two more files, "have loads of them." He turned, kicking the drawer close behind him as he stared down at his device again,

"Wait!" She called after him, "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting out of here!" He replied, "And I suggest you do the same, before…"

His words trailed off as he heard the heavy footfalls of police officers running down the hall.

"Uh… Shit." He whipped around and looked at Maka. She knew her expression was panicked, this really, _really _wasn't something she could talk her way out of with her superiors—not to mention the banks _clients _if they somehow found out she was even involved a little.

And with Giriko groaning on the floor, she knew they would.

Soul swore loudly, putting the files behind him and stuffing them partially down the back of his jeans, keeping them securely against his back. His coat hid them easily, and he motioned at Maka,

"Just hide till they're gone and—"

"FREEZE!"

His words fell short as he heard the men enter the room behind him. Maka was, without a shadow of a doubt, in _way _over her head. Soul quickly pulled his bandana back over the bottom of his face.

Officers were now streaming into the room; at the front was a young man with a double holster around his shoulders, a handgun pointed threateningly at Soul, who remained with his back to them.

"Put your hands over your head slowly," The man commanded. Maka couldn't help but notice his strange appearance. Jet black hair with three brilliant white stripes only made his golden eyes seem to glow. His white dress shirt and open collar told her he wasn't an average cop like the others in their blue uniforms.

Soul stood unmoving, eyes fixed on Maka.

"I will not _ask you again," _The officer roared, inching closer as his men moved to cover the exit completely.

Maka looked at Soul, and saw a gleam in his eyes before he suddenly darted towards her. An unexpected little shriek rose from the bottom of her throat as he pulled her roughly in front of him. The officer yelled loudly, but Soul now had her in front of him completely.

"Now now," Soul spoke to the cop teasingly, "Let's not do anything rash."

His forearm pressed into her throat, his other hand behind her back. Panic gripped her for a moment, but a little part of her knew this wasn't what it looked like. He wouldn't _really _use her as a human shield…

Would he?

She couldn't tell what he was doing, but she knew he had to be planning something.

The room grew tense,

"Sir," The dark haired cop said threateningly, "Release her at once, or I _will _shoot you,"

She felt Soul's chest ripple with a low chuckle,

"And kill her? You wouldn't fucking risk it,"

"I don't miss," The man replied, eyes narrowing, "Ever."

"Ever?" Soul tiled his head sarcastically, "Quite a brag."

Maka could see the man's hand tighten on his gun.

She gritted her teeth, turning her head to the side slowly. The top of her head nudging Soul's jaw slightly, hoping to _god _he picked it up as a signal.

His hand on her back pressed against her slightly.

Acknowledgement.

"Wait," He breathed, so quietly that she was sure she was the only one to hear it.

She pretended to sob, but Soul picked up her small nod.

"I will warn you one last time," The office spoke evenly, but a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face. The other officers in the room were hardly breathing, tension consuming everyone, "Let. Her. Go."

"How about this instead," Soul replied nonchalantly, "_You _let _me_ go, and no one gets hurt. Oh, and the property damage will be minimal."

The officer scowled,

"You had your chance."

Maka drew a deep breath as the police officer's finger hugged the trigger. She felt Soul's arm tense under her.

_Time's up._

"PLEASE!" She screamed suddenly, pulling as many fake tears to her eyes as she could manage, "Don't let him KILL ME!"

She thrashed in his arms, moving herself as much in front of him as possible. The cop's eyes wide, he shouted back,

"W-WAIT STOP! NO!"

In a quick motion, Maka was spun around, Soul's arm around her waist, pulling her into him. The arm around her neck quickly moved, cradling her head into his neck. He dove backwards with her in his arms as a large explosion sent the wall next to them crumbling into pieces. Dust shot into the air, debris and old brick flying into the room. Cops fell to the ground, many knocked backwards from the last. There was shouting; Maka could hear their leader barking commands.

The rubble had no time to settle as Soul gingerly sat up, pushing Maka off of him gently. He put his hands on her shoulders strongly, his red gaze fierce as he peered into her eyes,

"Stay. Here." He said, standing quickly.

He turned, jumping over a pile of debris. It was then that Maka could see exactly what had happened.

A large, sleek, black car had crashed into the wall, at what she could imagine was full speed.

Soul crouched behind a pile of bricks, glancing over the top at the police, scrambling to collect themselves.

"FIRE!"

Bullets shattered above him as he ducked down. He glanced back at Maka, grinning,

"See yah," He said loudly, rolling backwards and bowing behind the car.

_Oh no you fucking don't._

Maka hardly knew what she was doing as she scrambled toward him, an exciting sort of desperation driving her as bullets shattered old brick above her, sending cement showering down.

Soul opened the side door, diving into the car easily. She was crawling on her stomach through the wreckage as she heard it roar to life.

Her breathing hitched:

He was leaving her behind.

Soul was looking behind him into the street for traffic when he heard the passenger door slam shut. Eyes snapping to his right, he saw her sitting there. An intense fury in her expression,

"GO!" She shouted, snapping him out of his temporary state,

"_What!?" _He said, incredulous,

"Let's get the _fuck _out of here!" She said, ducking down as the police officers began moving towards them, guns still blazing.

He didn't have time to protest; things were too bad.

"I'm gonna regret this," He muttered as his foot slammed into the gas, the wheels screeching as he pulled out through the rubble, the entire frame rocking roughly as the car maneuvered over the fallen stacks of bricks. Bullets bit into the sleek metal, creating a noise Maka had never even considered.

She watched as Soul turned the steering wheel roughly, looking over his shoulder once. She whipped around in her seat to check the usually grid locked street:

Empty.

She looked back at him, her mouth agape:

"How did you..?"

"Not really the time!" He replied, a police cruiser screaming around the corner, sirens blaring.

Again he violently turned the wheel, Maka was slammed into the door as the car spun around completely, lurching forward in the opposite direction. Soul swore again, pulling his device out of his pocket roughly, eyes darting from it to the road.

"I want to make a joke," Maka choked out, "About texting and driving," She gasped as they were met with another vehicle.

Soul looked over at her for only a moment before erupting in laughter,

"You moron," He laughed, the car turning down an almost empty street, "Keep being clever and I'm going to end up _actually _kidnapping you,"

Maka smiled, but continued to brace herself against the car, eyes focused on the red light in front of them. Soul looked down for a moment, swiping his device quickly with his thumb. The light switched almost instantly, and he tore through the intersection, cars swerving and crashing behind him, preventing their pursuers from following.

He looked in the rear-view,

"Whatcha think? Pretty cool, huh?" He took his eyes off of the wreckage behind him in just enough time to see the cruiser tear around a corner and keep pace easily with his own.

Maka's head turned from him to the window before he could so much as tell her to get down.

There was that cop from before: his bright white stripes against inky black hair giving him away instantly.

He leaned out the driver's side of his cruiser: this time, he didn't hesitate.

His gun fired.

Soul turned the wheel sharply to the left, swearing loudly.

Maka's window shattered.

She felt nothing but numb excitement for only a few moments before a sharp and terrible pain shot through her arm.

To make matters worse, that same arm was thrown into the door when Soul turned the car again, black tires streaking the street as the car weaved through the streets with a speed and intensity he previously didn't have,

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck," He muttered, looking from the street to Maka to his device in quick succession.

Her stunned silence was almost worse than screaming,

"Say something pigtails, you still with me?"

Her hand was clutching the top of her arm. She brought it away slowly, shaking when she saw it was covered in blood. He glanced over and swore again, turning the car down a back ally, knocking garbage cans and boxes away as he drove through.

They had lost the cruiser a while ago, he was sure, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"My…" She whispered, vision blurring slightly, "My arm…"

"Yeah I'm _aware,_" He hissed back,

He heart seemed to be slowing in its pace. The air was thick. She bit her bottom lip harshly, eyes squeezed together. She would be okay. She would be fine. Just endure.

This wasn't that bad.

It wasn't that bad.

Something outside hit the car.

IT WAS—

No.

Breathe.

The loud sound of multiple collisions behind the car, it jerked to the right.

Blood… Warm…

Pooling…

Tearing flesh—

She didn't mean to scream, but the panicked look she got flashed at her from the man beside her made her almost regret it.

Or it would, if it didn't hurt so fucking much.

She was shaking violently now.

The car had stopped.

She was pretty sure the car had stopped.

Her face was in his hands. Warm.

Strong.

"Hello? Did you hear me?"

He tore off the bandana from his face roughly, his hand instantly returning to her face, forcing her eyes to focus on his own,

"We. Need. To. _Move._" He said, his thumb running over her cheek bone lightly, "Can we do that?"

She nodded slightly and he was gone for only a moment before he was outside, opening her door. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, before looking down at her,

"Right now!" He hissed.

Maka had never felt so faint in her life. She thought she was going to be sick. She forced her eyes up to him.

He was standing, looking around him, as if considering something important. He was nervous, upset; he looked down at her before pacing a few times.

He ran his hand through his hair roughly before sighing, defeated.

"Fuck it," He muttered, bending down and scooping her up out of the car. She winced when her arm was pressed into his chest. He hardly seemed to notice, his gaze fixed in front of him as he began running down the narrow street.

"W-where are we going?" She managed to say,

"My place," He gritted.

He ducked behind a wall, holding her to him as he waited for a few pedestrians to walk past.

"I'm cold," She said quietly,

"Yeah I know." He looked down, genuine concern on his face. She felt her stomach churn as his grip on her seemed to tighten.

He drew in breath,

"Maka. Listen to me. We need to make it back, and you need to stay awake."

She nodded, slowly. It was only briefly, but she considered how it might be that he knew her name. She wanted to ask him, but couldn't manage it. She was running out of air. She turned to him, fear gripping her.

Her pleading gaze was not lost on him, quite the opposite. He opened his mouth, only to shut it. He finally shook his head, dashing out from behind the wall, towards an apartment building.

His voice was more gravely than usual when he finally said:

"Stay the fuck awake. You're going into shock."

.

.

* * *

_A/N: I know this is a long one, but I hope it was worth it! _

_I'd love to hear what you thought :)_


	4. Four

Kid's hand slammed down hard on the bank desk.

Despicable.

How had he lost them? He was so close, and he was sure he had gotten a piece of the woman, although the white haired man had seen him at the last second. He had saved her life, if only by a few inches.

_The woman_.

Kid's lip curled with disgust. She had him completely fooled. The other tellers described her as Maka Albarn, who had been working at the branch for a short while, but he knew she had just played her part well. Soul and she were obvious partners. Clever ones at that.

He wasn't often led astray by tricks of false danger or hostage situations, but it proved to be a weakness for him. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that made him always want to _trust_—always want to _save _people.

Perhaps he could blame his upbringing for that. Or his father's careful training.

But still, what was the point of his training? What was the point of his position or power if he couldn't catch the notorious "Soul Eater"? Or at least get one step closer to finding out his identity.

He glanced over at the teller's computer screens, before his eyes wandered back to the large televisions used to display the weather and news to the banks patrons. Now all the screens in the building displayed only one thing:

The repulsive mark of the illusive hacker.

The large orange orb with pointed teeth and white eyes mocked him as it flickered across the screens in tandem.

Besides the obvious cockiness and ridiculous attitude it conveyed, it annoyed Kid on a much deeper level. The left side of the stupid icon had a triangle protruding from it. The other, remained rounded.

He felt his eyebrow twitch involuntary as a slapped a stack of papers off the nearby tellers desk,

"WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO GODDMAN ASYMMETRICAL?!"

.

.

.

Maka lay unmoving on a soft bed, blankets tucked around her waist, a tight bandage wrapped around her arm and chest. She knew the others in the room next to hers thought she was asleep, but Maka struggled to stay awake, listening to their every word.

As soon as they had gotten to Soul's place (or, rather, as soon as Soul burst through the door and deposited Maka on the couch accompanied by a string of curses), he had called a "friend" of his over to help.

A pink haired girl named Kim had arrived promptly, faster than Maka expected although it was all very blurry for her, thinking back. After treating her wound and coaxing her into bed with a few sedatives, Kim had glared Soul out of the room.

"I didn't know you were bringing back _strays _now," Kim snapped.

"Yeah me neither." Soul collapsed into his armchair, gaze wandering over to the blood stains Maka had left of on couch.

"Honestly Soul, you know better." She rolled her eyes, arms crossed tightly as she watched him blow a few strands of white hair out of his face tiredly.

"I'm serious," She continued, "You're lucky I came over at all!" Her nose was in the air.

Soul _really_ didn't like dealing with Kim on a regular basis. He didn't want to call her over, but she was the only person with medical training he knew he could trust. He also knew that, despite her attitude, she'd drop almost anything for an emergency like this one.

He was grateful for that.

"Well I couldn't just leave her to die," He mumbled, standing to his feet and pulling off his jacket. His white t-shit also had blood all over it, and it was starting to harden.

"You brought her to your _house_," Kim hissed, "Now she knows where you live! And besides that, she saw your face!"

Soul's stomach churned, but his expression remained stoic,

"I know what I'm doing," He replied thickly.

"Do you? Because I'm really starting to doubt that. If Death found out about—"

Soul turned to her quickly, a sudden fire igniting in his eyes,

"He doesn't need to know." He said sternly, Kim's words catching in her throat,

"Y-yeah I know," She squeaked, "But I'm just…"

He shook his head, removing his stained shirt. Kim turned away, not embarrassed, just giving him privacy. They'd worked together enough times that things like that had just become normal. She tapped her foot, continuing her lecture,

"Look, all I'm saying is there's a reason I wore my mask the entire time I was treating her. My advice to you: make up some big old lie and get rid of her as soon as possible," She heard him walk into the kitchen and followed him, watching him scrub his shirt in the sink,

"And how do you propose I do that?" He scowled. Kim just shrugged,

"_Someone _could always just… kill her for you," Kim said quietly.

He paused for a moment, shooting a glare at the woman before turning back to his shirt,

"Funny." He replied,

"I'm not kidding." She hushed back, leaning against the wall. He didn't reply and his face didn't give away anything either. He was impossible to read, much to Kim's utmost dismay. She huffed before packing up her medical bag in the living room. She stepped into her shoes before pulling a black bandana over her face,

"Just think about what I said, idiot." She called back into the house before slipping out the door.

As soon as she had left, Soul threw the shirt into the water roughly, sending splashes of it onto the counter. He sunk down into a kitchen chair, head in his hands.

What the fuck had he done?

What the fuck was he _doing?_

.

.

In the other room, Maka's heart had quickened. She had only caught bits and pieces of what was going on, but she got the general gist of it. Kim had suggested…

But, no, that couldn't be right.

Because if there's one thing Maka was always _exceptionally _good at, it was her judge of character. And despite his… well… activities, Soul wasn't the kind of person who would just kill her and get her out of the way. If he'd wanted to do that, he had more than a few chances before.

The drugs Kim had administered weighed heavy on her eyelids, but she couldn't just let herself fall asleep like this. She struggled out of the bed quietly, and opened the door to her room with as much silence and tact as she could muster with one arm and spinning vision.

She was met almost immediately with a topless Soul.

"What are you—"

"You have to take me home," Maka said, trying to sound stern but getting a little more than distracted by his physique. She hadn't known he would be so toned, and she couldn't help herself as her eyes traced along his torso, landing on a large scar that ran from his shoulder to his waist. He noticed her gaze,

"You had that option pigtails," He said, ducking into his bedroom and emerging while putting a shirt on, "I seem to remember it was _you _who got into _my _car."

She steadied herself on the wall,

"As if that was even _your _car," She said, trying to sound angry. It came out more as a sleepy whine, "Besides!" She persisted, "That was before I got _shot_!" Soul's eyes darkened.

"I fucking told you to stay put, but you—"

He stopped, shaking his head and sighing roughly.

"I was already involved," she muttered, looking down, "You pointed me out to Giriko, so I was dead either way."

Soul said nothing in reply, only watched her. She took this as a sign to continue her explanation,

"I don't know what you stole but… the people who use that bank, they don't like any sort of suspicious behavior, and I know you stole something important and Giriko thought I was involved in some way so right now I'm probably even…" She bit her lip,

"Yeah I _know_," Soul finally replied, "That's why I brought you here."

She looked back up at him,

"So…"

"So you can't go home. Man, those drugs Kim gave you must be having a pretty steep impact." He chuckled as he placed a hand on the top of her head. Maka opened to her mouth to retort when the door to Soul's apartment slammed open suddenly.

Soul's head snapped towards the door and he pushed himself and Maka against the wall instinctively, his hand coming up to cover the obvious protest about to be made by the pigtailed girl.

"SOOOOULLLL," a loud voice boomed from the living room and Soul's expression immediately snapped to annoyed.

Maka pulled his hand off her mouth, fuming,

"Jesus Soul you don't have to keep doing that!"

He smiled sheepishly down at her,

"I'm just making sure your big mouth doesn't blow our cover,"

Her uninjured hand came down hard on his skull. He fell to the ground, shocked at her blow,

"God _fuck _Maka you sure as shit don't hit like a girl," he moaned.

"SOUL!" The obnoxious voice called again, before a man's head popped around the hallway corner, "Oi, there you are,"

Maka looked at the man's bright blue hair, surprised. Did all of Soul's friends insist on such vibrant hair colour…?

"There's this new thing, it's called _knocking,_" Soul said getting up off the ground, "This isn't a fucking drop-in center, Black Star."

"Ohh I see," The man waggled his eyebrows, "Am I _interrupting _something?" He asked suggestively, gesturing to Maka.

She had only just met him, and she already found him insufferable. Soul just rolled his eyes,

"What do you want?" He walked to the kitchen, Black Star behind him nonchalantly. Maka followed instinctually, resting at the door frame as Soul sat down in a kitchen chair, Black Star leaning against the counter.

"I wanted to talk to you about something but…" He turned and none so subtly glared at Maka. She looked away uncomfortably before Soul sighed.

"Did Kim talk to you?"

"Kinda." Black Star shrugged.

"Star."

"She told me you brought back something a little _more _than just the files today." He crossed his arms and Soul made a little _tsk _noise.

"And about that!" Black Star roared, "I feel kinda useless if you're gonna go start doing all the in-field work too!"

Soul's face cracked into a grin, "I needed some exercise."

"How'd that work out for you?" His eyes wandered over to Maka once more. She couldn't take it anymore. Being talked about like this, especially when she was _standing right there._

She stomped her foot.

"Hold on a second, okay?!" She said nastily, "It's not like Soul just _kidnapped _me and brought me along, alright?! I didn't really have any other option, but despite that it's still _my _choice to be here!"

Black Star looked disinterested, not even looking at when she spoke,

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes!" She replied hotly.

"Well then, what's your plan now, huh sweetheart? You probably don't even know what we—what _Soul _does, and you think you're just gonna tag along? You're useless! I can tell how weak you are just by looking at you!" He laughed loudly and Maka's blood boiled.

"We'll sort it out," Soul replied.

"Yeah we will." Black Star turned to him and Soul gave him a stern look,

"She's seen your face man. And mine too."

"So? That's your fault for wandering in without your mask," Soul pointed a finger at his exposed face.

"I'm not going to—I mean it's not like I'm going to _tell _anyone," Maka mumbled. Black Star seemed to brush her off, adding to her anger.

Soul shot her an apologetic look as his blue haired friend continued talking about how stupid he was and how he never should have gone alone. Maka had had enough; she turned and marched back to the room.

She could still hear the conversation in the kitchen, now moving away from her.

"So did you get them?"

"Of course." She could almost _hear _his cocky smirk. Papers slapped against the table.

"How'd you manage without the Great Me?"

"There were a few… complications."

"Shit eh? Wouldn't it be better if we just had—"

"I know."

Her hand had just grasped the doorknob when something she heard in the Kitchener caught her attention completely:

"I wish I could just get my _hands _on that fucking Soul Perception."

She froze.

Maka knew what that was.

What's more… Maka knew _where to get it._

She smiled devilishly.

_Whose useless now, Black Star?_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

_AN: I know this chapter is just people talking talking talking but I think it was a little over due maybe? Mehhh I hope you guys liked it!_

_Let me know what you thought, if you'd like! _


	5. Five

Maka needed to weigh her options.

It was true that she didn't necessarily _like _her father, but it wouldn't be him that was the main problem here. She knew only a little about the new technology, the Soul Perception. It was something invaluable to government covert missions: things her father spoke about with more frequency than he really should have.

But just like Black Star said, she really didn't know what he and Soul and… everyone else did. She needed to know if she could trust them enough to do something so drastic, and for what end? Was it some sort of weird payback for Soul saving her from the life she so hated before all this? Or had what Black Star said really gotten to her?

Calling Maka Albarn useless was one of the worst things someone could do. The feisty girl was anything but useless, and it sure as shit seemed like she was just trying to prove that at this moment. Or maybe it was just the drugs still pumping through her veins.

She took a deep breath; listening to them talk about the finer details of Soul's robbery.

"Lemme see them." A chair scraped across the linoleum; Black Star sat across from Soul.

"I haven't even gone through them myself, but they should all be there," Soul replied.

There was silence for a few seconds before Black Star laughed loudly,

"This is it! Goddam Soul! You actually did something without me!"

"I'm not _that _useless," Soul sounded annoyed, but Maka could bet he was smiling at the compliment.

"I gotta admit," Black Star sounded a little shocked, "We lucked out on this one."

Soul grunted in agreement,

"She was smart enough to only keep this shit on hardcopy, but stupid enough to think that we wouldn't be able to get to that either," He laughed when Black Star high-fived him.

"Death is gonna be happy," The man let out a loud YAHOOOO and Soul laughed,

"He better be."

Maka was puzzled, but stayed at her place by the door. There was the sound of rustling papers as the two men seemed to be reading them.

"Arachne's never gonna know what hit her." Black Star said proudly.

If she was confused before, now Maka was full out lost. She knew ofArachne too, for a few different reasons. There were always rumors of the mobster goddess, but it always sounded like stories told to scare people off the streets. A threat made by thugs. Maka had heard the name thrown around dozens of times at the bank, but it was always met with hushed whispers and instant silence.

The only time she had given any of it a second thought was when her father complained to her one day about his inability to catch the woman. Maka had pried deeper, but her father quickly silenced himself, realizing he had already said too much.

Something bad was going on in Death City, and Maka had somehow gotten involved right in the core of it.

"What about the bank?" Black Star asked, and Maka perked up.

"They're fucked," Soul said grimly, "She's not going to let anyone live through letting this shit out."

Black Star made a sound in the back of his throat.

"I mean, I get pride and reputation and all that, but killing anybody she thinks screwed with her? Mann she's a scary woman."

At first the threat seemed to please Maka, the thought of Giriko and Fisher and all those other people who had made her life a living hell scanned through her mind, but the brakes on her thought process suddenly slammed to a halt.

_Tsubaki._

Maka really did adore the woman. She was so unconditionally kind, she was so thoughtful and meek and—

The idea of her being _killed _for something Maka was involved in, inadvertently or not, made her physically ill.

"Don't feel bad about it!" Black Star slapped a hand on Soul's shoulder, "Death's orders right? Nothin' we can do!"

"Keh. Maybe." He replied.

"Dude, even if we _wanted _to, we don't have the kind of equipment we need to go up against Arachne right now. That's why we're running around doing all this shit." Maka heard papers scatter across the table.

"Yeah… You're right." Soul sighed and Maka felt her resolve click into place.

She took a strong step around the corner, both men turning to look at her at once, shocked.

"How long have you been—" Soul started but Maka's words shouted over him.

"I know how to get a Soul Perception."

There was dead silence, and Maka immediately felt self-conscious.

"My dad has one…" She said quietly.

Soul peered at her, eyebrows raised,

"Pardon?" He said.

"Yeah okay," Black Star broke out of his stunned silence to laugh, "I'm so sure."

"No! It's true!" She said, "He works for the government, pretty high up and he kinda does what you guys do. I think." She crossed her arms, lips pursed, "But legal."

Black Star's laughing stopped abruptly, his expression changing in a heartbeat.

"Are you serious?" Soul whispered, harsh tension in his voice.

"Y-yeah," She stammered.

Before she knew what was happening, she was pinned against the wall by Black Star. She shouted in pain when her wounded arm hit the counter, his wrist was digging into her throat and she gasped against the pain,

"Black Star! What the hell are you _doing_!?" Soul was to his feet, trying to tear his friend off of her,

"You heard what she just said!" Black Star was lethal, a wild anger to his tone, his wrist digging in further to her throat. She gasped for air, but couldn't get any, "Her dad works for the fucking _government! _She's a motherfucking PLANT!"

Maka clawed at his arms, but it had no effect against the large man.

"Why the fuck would she TELL US THAT if it was to take us down?!" Soul threw his weight into a punch that sent Black Star toppling off of Maka. She fell to her knees, hands at her neck as she coughed and sputtered for air.

Black Star looked up at him from the ground, dumbfounded.

"And!" Soul roared down at him, "Why would she tell us he has a fucking Soul Perception!?"

"What if it's a trap?" The man shouted back.

But Soul was on the ground next to Maka, his hand on her back. He shot Black Star a glare and pointed to his front door.

"Get out." He gritted.

The blue haired man stood to his feet, a hard glare aimed at the two of them.

He slammed the door behind him.

It was only closed for a second before it opened again at the man stuck his head back in,

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. Soul exhaled harshly and shook his head, exhausted.

"I'll come back later." Maka could tell he was trying to whisper but it came out a lot louder than it would have if he had just said it.

Soul shot shook his head as the door closed once more before he turned back to the girl gasping on the ground.

.

.

.

He had scooped her up and put her back in bed, mumbling all sorts of things about "too much excitement for one day" and how "hackers are supposed to be basement dwellers".

"I'm serious though," She said firmly as she sat in her bed. He was a little startled,

"About what?"

"The Soul Perception. My dad has one."

His brows furrowed,

"Why are you telling me that though?" He asked,

"Because I want to steal it," her eyes lit up a little and he chuckled.

"Well well well," he laughed, "Look who's suddenly interested in the life of crime!"

She blushed,

"What if I plan to use to it steal all the money from an orphanage?" His smirk fell, "Black Star's an idiot, but he's right about one thing: you don't know what we do."

"I know who Arachne is." She said it with a lot more confidence than she thought she would. Soul paused for a moment,

"And?" He said,

"And my dad's unit can't touch her. I don't know what you stole but I know it's something close to her. That's more than he could ever do."

Soul seemed smug, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened to her,

"And I know something big is happening with her in the center of it… And if you can use the Soul Perception better than he can than maybe—"

"You don't even know what it is, do you?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

"W-what? I mean, I know you want it. You can use it right?"

Soul chuckled and shook his head.

"No, _you _can use it."

Maka was dumbstruck. She shook her head,

"I don't even really know what it does." She admitted,

He sat down at the edge of her bed,

"So today," he said, stretching his arms over his head, "Today I did all that badass cool shit right?" He grinned, cocky.

"Yeah yeah yeah I was there." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, how much _planning _do you think went into that? Spoiler alert: a lot." His expression soured, "It really takes the glamour out of things."

She laughed a little, watching him injure his own pride.

"It's like blueprints and cameras and floor-plans and scout missions and fucking tech scouts to figure out what hack you need, it's algorithm testing, it's grueling and it takes a long time."

"How long?" She asked curiously, her head tilted to one side.

Soul wouldn't admit it, but the way her pigtails framed her face was _too fucking cute _for him to deal with. He was being such an idiot; he shouldn't be losing the ability to form words with just a tilt of her stupid cute head. He cleared his throat and threw on his most confident face,

"Most people, months. Me? A week. Tops." He grinned at her and she smiled back,

"So what does that have to do with Soul Perception?" She asked.

"So imagine a piece of technology that you wear on your eyes and can instantly see _most _of the shit I just listed off. Floor plans, people inside, fastest routs, simple algorithms: everything."

Maka furrowed her brows,

"Something like that exists?" She breathed,

"Two exist." He raised his middle and forefinger, "And it sounds like your dad has his hands one of them."

"But he—"

"Maka. I'm betting the reason he hasn't caught her with it, is because he doesn't know how to properly use it. He probably doesn't know the right time to bring it out, and what to do with the information it feeds him." He rolled his eyes.

"So then why don't _you _use it?"

"Because," His smile grew in proportion, sharp teeth making her breathing hitch for only a second, "They're created with biological sensors."

She stopped for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying.

"So they read…."

"DNA. You can only use them if you have the right strands of DNA. The one it's created for works, but I've heard rumors in private forums that their offspring," he pointed to her, "Can use it too."

Her eyes widened for a moment, realizing what he was saying.

"How do _glasses _do that?!" She said, suddenly excited by the idea. He laughed outright at her pep,

"They're not glasses. They're more like contact lenses. They don't embed to the eye, so you can remove them, but they read you as much as they let you read the world."

Maka's grin faltered for a second,

"I'll make you a deal." She said with seriousness. Soul's expression fell to closer match hers,

"A deal?"

"If I get the Soul Perception—if you help me get it, I'll help you with whatever it is you're doing, IF you help me save my friend." She stuck her hand out to him, waiting for him to shake it. He just looked at it for a moment and then back to her,

"Save her… from what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"She worked with me at the bank."

Soul sighed for a moment. He was sure 'saving' the girl wouldn't be too bad… One measly teller could escape Arachne's gaze pretty easily—and to do that even for the _opportunity _to get the Soul Perception on his side? He spent most of his time considering the weight of his actions, his means to the end, but this time: he didn't think at all.

His hand grabbed hers in an instant.

"You got yourself a deal, pigtails."

He stood to his feet as she smiled, snuggling down into the blankets of his guest bed.

The lights were flicked off, and he was about to walk out of the room when she whispered:

"Can I ask you something?"

He turned back, and when she fidgeted, he sighed, walking back over to the side of her bed,

"Yeah?"

"It's kinda stupid, but at the car, before this, you were… you looked like you were thinking really hard about something and I was just wondering—"

Soul's expression turned icy. She had quickly caught on that this meant he didn't want to show emotion, and, moreover, didn't want to answer whatever he was just asked.

"To be honest," He replied slowly, "I was debating leaving you behind." He trailed off, not looking at her.

"Oh." She said.

There was an awkward silence

"Look," Soul's hand was on the back of his neck, uncomfortable, "I didn't though."

She did a quick little nod in reply. After a few seconds he lowered himself to the edge of her bed,

"Okay, this is fucking uncool but whatever: I didn't take you here because I knew any of the shit about the potential with your Soul Perception or whatever, I mean, if that's even the case. I brought you because… I don't know. I couldn't just—what I'm _trying _to say is that… fuck."

Maka found herself laughing a little despite herself. Soul's cheeks flared up and he was to his feet in a second,

"Are you laughing at me?" He hissed,

"I mean, a little," She giggled, "Maybe I'm just too overwhelmed,"

He finally smiled,

"Ah, an emotional breakdown," he teased.

"Something like that," she hummed in reply.

He laughed quietly, looking towards to the door as if about to leave. Instead turned back to her, as if remembering something,

"Don't think I'm a creep or whatever," he said, "But when I was surveying the bank I… couldn't really help but notice you. It sounds fucked when I just say it but yeah. Watching that shithead Giriko treat you like that was," he paused, "irritating," he settled on. He was messing with some chipping paint on the wall next to him.

She watched him, surprised. He continued,

"And then, you were suddenly helping me out and I really didn't mean to involve you but… Shit happens I guess," he shrugged but she heard a kind of regretful responsibility in his words.

"It's okay," she said, "I got myself into it as much as you did,"

He looked up to grin at her,

"Since we're being all gushy gushy anyway, I just wanted to say…" He took a few steps back towards her, kneeling at her bedside, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?" He said softly,

She laughed lightly,

"Too late," she motioned to her arm. A small smile played on his lips. Before he even knew what he was doing, his hand was up near her face, cupping her cheek lightly. He was so warm against her, and she didn't mind the contact.

"From now on then," he said seriously, "When we get the Soul Perception, just… think of me as like…" He paused, considering things for a moment before raising his eyebrows, "Think of me as your weapon. You got the brains, and I got the technology," he removed his hands to flex and wink, super cheesy, "And the tight bod."

Maka laughed, shaking her head,

"Alright, alright. You'll be the weapon," She smiled when he stood up,

"Now go to sleep, dumb idiot." His normal smug tone had returned as he slouched out of the room. From the hallway she heard him say:

"We have a shit-ton of work to do in the morning!"

And honestly, despite all the horrible things she had been through that day, despite her life being uprooted, turned upside-down and smashed into a million pieces, despite being thrust into a world of technology and crime and covert ops missions:

She was really, _really _happy.

* * *

.

.

.

_AN: Here's a quick update for you guys! And it was longer too! _

_(I really liked writing this chapter) I hope you guys are enjoying it! Let me know what you thought, if you'd like!_


	6. Six

_A/N: Guys! I'm so sorry this update was so late! I started back at school and everything was crazy town busy but I'm going to focus more on this story now! So you'll get another update sooner than this one was!_

_To make up for it... a long chapter! Forgive meee!_

* * *

.

.

.

It was strange. Really, it was. Because Soul had always, _always _been a solitary person. It wasn't that he didn't like people; it was more along the lines of trusting someone where he seemed to be lacking.

So when it came to this girl, Maka, he really was at a loss for his behavior.

She had been staying with him for only a week, but already it felt normal… routine… even kind of… nice, he had to admit.

She cooked him breakfast. She cleaned. She didn't talk too much, didn't pry into his life, didn't act like she was somewhere she ought not to be. It felt like they had been like this forever.

Through making their plans to break into her father's apartment and find the Soul Perception she knew was in his safe, she'd laugh at his stupid jokes, get annoyed when he teased her and hold her own if they got into an argument.

He liked it.

And he really didn't understand why.

What was worse than the fact that he felt so in tune with her was that the foreignness of the feeling was constantly on his mind.

He needed to know the technicalities behind everything. He needed to know how it worked, why it worked and how to use it to his advantage. All his hobbies seemed to stem from that: his hacking, his fighting, his friendships, even his music.

But this was new territory.

It wasn't like he'd never been with a girl before either. He'd had a few girlfriends, a few interests and even more causal hook-ups, but never… this.

And this is what he found himself puzzling over once more as the two stood in the hallway of Maka's fathers apartment building.

It was a really good part of town and even better complex that her father lived in. Soul wasn't surprised, with the job he held. The two of them almost looked out of place amongst the others they had passed in the main lobby. Soul with his dark hoodie, ear-buds and dark aviator glasses hadn't seen a single guy pass who wasn't wearing a suit.

The two had gone into the building at different times, one shortly after the other and then convened outside Maka's father's unit. Soul didn't want them to be seen together by too many people or cameras, especially if he wasn't wearing his mask.

She was fumbling through her purse when she located a key and held it up to him triumphantly. He smiled in response, pulling out his ear-buds and draping them over his shoulder before folding his glasses into his pocket. She beamed back before sliding the key into the lock and opening the door slowly.

"Papa is convinced I'm going to move back in with him one of these days," She sighed, "So I have my own key."

"Lucky for us," He said, following her into the apartment and closing the door.

It was a large, open space: you could tell Sprit had extra cash to throw around. The whole thing bleakly reminded Soul of his family's home. An uncomfortable chill crept across his body.

Maka was already striding towards a room near the back, so Soul stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed her.

It was a large office, with a sturdy looking desk and bookshelves filled with various hardcover novels. There were a few old paintings on the wall, most of them featuring the Grim Reaper in some form or another. Soul raised his eyebrows and looked from them to Maka.

"I don't know." She shrugged, "One of his weird obsessions, I guess."

She moved one of the paintings, and it swung away on hinges, revealing a safe in the wall behind it.

"Wow. Your dad's not one for subtly, is he?" Soul drawled, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Definitely not," she hummed, looking at it before turning back to him, "You ready?"

"Of course, doll," He winked at her she laughed at his stupid expression as he pulled his device out of his pocket. He started swiping at it quickly,

"He shouldn't be home any time soon," she said, "So you don't need to feel rushed or anything."

He nodded, eyebrows tightening as he was denied access to the encryption for the third time. She watched him silently. Strong jaw… focused eyes… snowy hair softly tousling against his forehead as he shook his head in frustration.

He stood up quickly and walked towards the vault, leaning against the wall as he continued to work. When he passed her the smell of his cologne washed over her and she felt her eyes close involuntarily as she breathed it in generously.

Soul made an annoyed sound and her eyes shot back open, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. He hadn't noticed, thank god. He was instead still looking at his device.

"That can't be right." He bit his lip as he worked for a while longer.

"What is it?"

He was lost in thought, focused on something she knew was beyond her. He looked up, worried as he punched some numbers into the safe.

"Are you going to be able to—"

Her words were cut off by the door swinging open slowly. She grinned, clapping her hands a little and turning to him excitedly. His expression had become darker, confusion creasing his brow.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, becoming serious.

"It's just… weird." He said, going back to his device.

"What is?"

He turned to her.

"The password was 42-42-564."

She shrugged at him, the numbers meaning nothing to her. He shook his head,

"It's just… that's the password for everything Death encodes and sends us." Crimson eyes looked past her.

"So..?" She tried to catch his focus, which worked more quickly than she'd thought. He looked at her and frowned.

"So what are the fucking chances of that?"

"I don't know," she sighed, "They're just numbers."

He chuckled,

"There never _just _numbers."

But she was disinterested. Instead she turned her attention to the vault, eager to look inside.

"Trust me, its fine." She said, moving aside files and random storage devices. It didn't take her long to find the sleek black box, sitting right near the front. She picked it up gingerly and turned around, holding it out to Soul,

"Is this it?" She asked quietly.

"Open it up," he smiled when her fingers brushed across the top lightly. She clicked the latch and opened the case slowly,

"Wow."

There they were. Two small, clear lenses held in place in their black surroundings. A light shone on them from the box.

"That's the Soul Perception," Soul said, looking down at it, thick excitement in his voice, "Let's get out of here."

She clicked the box shut, putting it into the pocket of her jeans and closing the vault, pushing the picture back to its correct spot.

"Okay. All set!"

The two were leaving the office when a noise made them both freeze.

It was the front door's lock unlatching, and the knob turning slowly.

Their eyes met for a moment before Maka grabbed Soul's wrist and pulled him behind the large couch in the room. The two crawled silently until they were between the couch and a wall, crouching slightly under a large potted plant.

Spirit entered, stumbling slightly. The door slammed shut behind him and he shuffled into the room, discarding his coat on the ground.

He stood silently in the middle of the room for a long moment. Soul looked at Maka, his expression darkening.

Suddenly, Spirit's phone rang: a loud, annoying ringtone that Maka rolled her eyes at.

"Hello." He paused, before replying, "Oh, yeah sure baby. I'll be there soon. Yeah. I just need to finish off some paper work. Oh, of course!" he paused again, his voice dropping a few octaves, "Hold that thought sexy, I'll be there to keep you warm soon enough,"

Maka turned to Soul and gagged. He stifled laughter.

Spirit hung up and hurried off to his study. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both waiting to hear the man return. Finally, she turned to him,

"We might as well just wait till he leaves," She whispered, "Especially if it's going to be soon."

"Yeah," he hushed back, "And from the sounds of things…" He trailed off, grinning when she made a threatening hand motion at him.

They were there for a lot longer than either of them expected.

"Did he like… fall asleep?" Soul said, stretching out slightly. She shrugged,

"I don't know. Should we risk leaving?"

"Naw. Let's wait it out." He smiled at her.

Maka reached up and ran her fingers through the front of his hair. His eyes darted slightly, embarrassed, but she didn't notice,

"Why'd you dye your hair like this?" She hummed, continuing the motion, tugging at his hair a little now. He laughed quietly, enjoying her affection,

"You don't like it?" He whispered, feigning innocence. She rolled her eyes a little, putting her hands back in her lap. He frowned and she pretended not to notice.

"No, I like it!" She chirped, "I like it a lot. I was just wondering because your other friends, they also have…" she paused for a moment, measuring his expression. He looked amused as he waited for her answer, "Vibrant. Coloured hair."

He laughed again quietly and she felt herself flush.

"Shut up you know what I mean," She glared at him.

"Yeah I guess it's… I don't really know how to explain it to you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. She rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"I know, I'm just such a dumb stupid non-computer geek idiot. How could I possible fathom—"

"Shut up you know that's not what I mean," He nudged her arm playfully.

She rolled her eyes and he sighed.

"Mainly just—in our line of work, we do all this cool shit and kick all this ass but no one can know who we are, right?" He spoke quietly.

"Right. Or you'd be arrested. Because: illegal." She tried to mimic his usual snark and got a chuckle in reply,

"Cute. But you know what I mean. Especially when we're trying to do stuff to… kinda… I don't know, help people. Stop bad guys. Whatever." He blushed when she smiled softly at him, his words jumbling.

"And kick ass." She placed her hand on his softly. He looked down at it for a second before grinning,

"Exactly." His gaze returned to her, not able to help his eyes as they wandered across her face, from green eyes to slightly parted lips, down her neck… protruding collar bones and— he shook his head slightly, looking at his device quickly. She tilted her head, confused.

"So…?"

"Huh?" He asked, still staring at the dim screen,

"So what's with the hair?" She whispered harshly.

"Ah, right, sorry," He looked to her again, "Everyone wants to be _known_ for something. We wear masks but want trademarks; something physical to relate to our screen-names. The other guys seem to think their hair colour is a good way to do that."

"The others?" She ruffled his hair roughly, and he scowled.

"_Yes _the others. Mines natural." He swatted her away,

"As if." She muttered, "Is that true?"

"My whole family. Well… not my mom," he rubbed the back of his neck, "But my dad, my brother…"

"Your brother?" She inched closer to him.

"Yep."

"What's your brother like?"

"He's… fine."

"Oh."

He shifted slightly, expression darkening.

"Does he—"

"Look. I don't really want to talk about it." He was being cold,

"Okay. I was just—"

Soul sat up straighter suddenly, looking around. Maka's breath got caught in her throat,

"Did you hear something?" She breathed, as quietly as possible. His expression stayed seriously but he looked at her.

"No," he cracked a stupid grin, "I just knew it'd make you stop asking about Wes." He laughed at her outraged expression. She punched him in the arm,

"OW, JESUS!"

Maka was quick, launching towards him and slapping her hand over his mouth.

"Shut _UP_!" She whispered harshly.

His eyebrows were furrowed, but both Maka and Soul seemed to realize at once that she was almost entirely in his lap, on her knees in between his legs and only inches from his face. Her eyes were wide as she slowly removed her hand from his mouth, his lips soft against her fingers. Her cheeks reddened but he didn't have a smart comment or a smug smile for her, instead he gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her arm behind his neck.

She complied easily, crawling closer towards him. His hand found her jawline and she felt her fingers knotting into the back of his hair, anticipation electric.

His breath feathered her lips as her eyes fluttered shut.

There was a loud BANG and Maka's eyes shot open, suddenly hyperaware of what was going on. Her eyes darted around and she scrambled back. Soul was in a similar state, clearly flustered.

"S-sorry!" He whispered, "I didn't—and the—"

Her hand was on his mouth again, silencing him. She raised a finger to her lips and pointed towards the door. Spirit had walked out of his office and slammed the door behind him. He was swearing under his breath and rummaging around through his stuff.

Soul pulled her hand off his mouth and shot her a look, she mouthed:

_"Payback_"

And he instantly knew he couldn't get away with bossing her around anymore. The whole hand slapped over the mouth was pretty fucking annoying when you were on the receiving end of it.

Spirit loudly pushed all the things on the coffee table onto the floor,

"WHERE THE FUCK IS IT!?" he roared.

Maka and Soul's eyes met. She swallowed hard. He nodded at her, a silent cue telling her it was okay. He was on one knee now, a defensive position.

Spirit was tearing through the room, getting closer and closer towards their spot behind the couch. Soul was swiping his device quickly, glancing from it to Maka.

"Fuck. FUCK!" Spirit stomped into another room. Soul lifted his device towards Maka. She glanced at the screen and saw the text:

"_We need to go. Now."_

She nodded at him, her face pale. He exhaled quickly, measuring her worried expression. He reached out, his hand at the nape of her neck. He pulled her into him, foreheads touching, eyes locked.

They stayed that way for a few seconds before she nodded. He gave her a searching look which she responded to with a grin, followed by a lip bite.

He couldn't even help himself—she was so _cool _without even trying to be—both hands found her face quickly and he pulled her into a rough kiss. He didn't even have time to experience her reaction, they parted and he ran, crouched, to the door. She was quickly on his heels as he opened the front door as quietly as he could. She slipped outside and he looked back in time to see the one thing he didn't want to.

Coming around the corner was Spirit Albarn. Their eyes locked. There was a moment of stillness before both seemed to explode.

"SHIT!" Soul shouted, at the same time Spirit yelled:

"YOU FUCKING—"

Soul slipped out the door and slammed it behind him. He turned to Maka,

"RUN!"

She turned away and tore down the hallway. He caught up to her quickly as he swung around the bannister and jumped the entire flight of stairs she was running down.

They could hear Sprit running after them, shouting profanities. They weaved through a few hallways, heading out the back entrance. Soul was slightly ahead as he slammed against the large double doors in front of them: locked.

"Shit. SHIT!" He pulled at them a few times but they didn't budge. Maka's eyes darted around frantically, Spirits footfalls fast approaching as he ran down the hall.

"THERE!" She pointed above her to a vent grate. Soul grinned despite himself,

"Constant surprises, pigtails." He weaved his fingers together and offered his hands as a boost. She jumped onto them without hesitation and pulled the grate from the opening of the vent, tossing it inside nosily. She pulled herself up before lying against the floor and offering her hand down.

"You probably can't—" He offered his hand which she grabbed quickly and was surprised when he felt his feet leave the ground. He was soon close enough to the edge to life himself into the vent.

"What was that about surprises?" She raised an eyebrow, panting slightly.

"You're fucking _strong_." He gaped. She laughed quietly, quickly moving the grate back over the opening, closing the vent. The two lay in silence for a moment before Sprit tore into the room, looking around hysterically.

"Where are you, where are you," He said under his breath, panicked. Maka felt guilt tight in her stomach.

She didn't like her father, but she didn't necessarily _hate _him either. She worried if he would get fired for losing the Soul Perception… Or worse…

Soul's hand was on her cheek, snapping her out of her thought. She looked up at him, dark red eyes illumined only by the slated light from the room below.

"We don't have to do this," he breathed, so quietly she could barely hear him. But she shook her head, resolved.

"Yes," she mouthed, "We do."

He nodded at her seriously before removing his hand. Spirit had left the room, but the two heard him shout from the hallway:

"I know you're in here! I'm not leaving until I catch you, you son of a bitch!"

* * *

_._

_._

_._

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to know what you thought :) _


End file.
